Wink of a Pansy
by Micky Moon
Summary: She never gave much care about anything but her father's expectations and his sister was the only one he held in highest regard. In a way they were broken and, well, perfect for each other. GraLu
1. One

**One**

"Gray Fullbuster?"

The name might as well have been skipped during the daily attendance to save time but perhaps all the teachers were clinging on some foolish hope that someday the boy, who scored the highest on the school entrance exam, would show up. It wasn't only the teachers too—Gray Fullbuster was always the biggest gossip amongst the student body, girls whispering how they wished to see the hottest guy of Fairy Tail High once more, boys groaning for a better sports member on their team, assuming the phantom student was a great sportsman from his public display of abs. Lucy Heartphilia, however, didn't really care of all the chatter and rumors that went and flew about the overly crowded hallways.

And part of that was due to her absence on the first day of school, the only school day Gray bothered to make an appearance.

"If anyone's seen Gray Fullbuster, please tell him to come to school," the teacher finally moved on, passing out a thick worksheet packet that was their daily homework, "and please tell him to come see me."

It struck to Lucy that Gray must be so handsome and charismatic that even teachers were smitten by him. She had the misfortune of being in every class with him, dealing with all sorts of reactions each teacher had. They all consisted, however, of a sigh and a faraway, dreamy glance after the teacher gave their futile speech to the class.

Maybe it was because Lucy had never seen Gray or was sick of people glorifying him but she found it atrocious for teachers to hint intimate feelings for a student.

"Ne, ne, Lu-chan," a blue haired girl who sat in front of her in class, Levy McGarden, held out the packets, "don't you find sensei acting _way _overboard today?"

Lucy cracked a slight grin as she took a packet for herself and handed the rest to the person behind. Levy was a companion Lucy was happy to have befriended. She was less materialistic and sassy enough to suit Lucy's tastes. But it wasn't just about fulfilling standards, Lucy cherished the times she spent with Levy, especially the times when they spoke about books, their favorite source of pastime.

"By the way, did you read the latest book?"

Lucy's chocolate eyes lit up. "Yes! Yes! It _was_ so good! I hope she ends up with her crush."

The story they were talking about was a tale of a young girl who moved to the quaint countryside to teach at the local school house. The young girl developed a crush on a man who saved her from drowning while she lived in the care of an eccentric hikikomori.

"Really? I hope she ends up with the hikikomori."

"Why?"

"Well…" Levy placed a finger over her lips, head facing upwards in search of an explanation, "…because she seems to be more herself with the hikikomori…and well…the hikikomori seems to bring out the best of her and she brings out the best of him…I think they complement each other well."

Lucy opened her mouth to refute her best friend's opinion but a ruler hitting her desk with a loud thud switched the girls' attention from their conversation to their workbooks.

—

If she had a way, she'd avoid the cafeteria at all costs. It was always boisterous, a common attribute of a public food court for teenagers. But what made it so dislikeable was that it was a battle ground for cliques. Instead of a place to eat, it became, rather, a survival of the fittest of some sorts. The punk would pick on the artsy and the jocks would oversee that no other clique would cross their 'territory.' And it was cleverly cloaked by the nerds who advocated for students' rights to self govern.

Even if Lucy found it absolutely disgusting, she had to admit; she had never heard of a finer display of teamwork than this.

Waiting in line for about a half hour, she picked a bento to her liking, heading to the exit afterwards. She never stayed in the cafeteria for long since for one, she didn't belong in any cliques. She was a bookworm, she had fashion sense. She liked to be alone; she liked to be around people. Lucy considered herself to be bipolar in a way and well, there wasn't a bipolar clique, was there?

"Hey!" There was a kick followed by a sharp yelp of pain. Lucy glanced behind, seeing a muscled boy kicking a smaller boy to a corner. The boy on the ground had his clothes all disheveled, his blonde hair dirtied. Lucy frowned and looked in the direction where the jocks were; they were completely oblivious to this violation.

Cliques were, of no circumstances, allowed to inflict physical harm.

"It's none of your business," Lucy muttered to herself, her pulse beating rapidly, "just let it go. The jocks don't care so why should you?"

Her walking pace slowed and she found it harder to make the final step out the door. A person bumped into her shoulder and Lucy was about to snarl when she noticed it was a friend of the bullied nerd.

"Hey, your friend is getting beaten," she said, jutting a thumb towards the scene of the crime, "you're going to help him right?"

His friend made a quick glance before shrugging. "He's not one of us. It's his fault anyways."

Unbelievable. Lucy hated herself at the moment but she couldn't help it. A strong will of justice just washed over her, taking control of her actions as she strode over to intervene.

"Hey, maybe you should pick a person your own size," Lucy sneered, fist inching closer and closer to the bully's face, "since it's not cool to beat a person up like that."

She didn't give the bully a chance to respond as she finished her punch, wiping her hand away. "I hope that taught you something."

"What the hell!" The bully quickly retaliated and Lucy readied her lungs to scream since, judging his massive body size, she would be pummeled if he picked on her. "Why the hell are you stopping me? I'm just getting revenge."

"Huh?"

"This dude," the 'bully' gestured the boy, "stole my girlfriend."

Lucy looked in confusion at the boy but as she studied his sun kissed hair, baby face eyes, recognition dawned on her.

He was Eve Tearm, one of the infamous playboys of the school.

—

She didn't know why she sat cross legged on the wet grassy floor, her bento set out ready to be eaten. Lucy doesn't like outdoors that much, a stroll along the park was the most she could tolerate. But perhaps the three bishounen guys she was with currently helped with that matter.

"Lu-chan~" Eve Tearm, the boy who she rescued earlier, had quickly comforted himself around her arm. She didn't mind so much since, well, he was cute. "may I have a shrimp?"

"Uhm…" Seafood was her favorite but Lucy guessed it didn't hurt to spare one. "Sure. Here."

"What about me Lucy?" Her ears immediately fell captive in the mouth of womanizer number two, Loke Stellar. "I want one too~"

"Here," Lucy grumpily tossed it into his mouth after elbowing him away in the stomach. She turned to the third, and last, womanizer of the group. "You want one too?"

He shook his brown, spiky hair, his eyes trained on the screen of the laptop in his lap. Lucy smiled a bit, relieved that at least _one_ civilized boy existed in the group. But then he shut his laptop, looked up into her eyes, and flashed a charismatic smile.

"May I have one now, Lu-cy?"

"Gah! Just devour it all, won't you?" Lucy finally surrendered her tray of food, watching in amazement at the speed it took for the boys to devour the contents to its entirety. "Wow. For womanizers, you guys sure eat sloppily."

Eve looked up, smiling timidly, "Well, it's probably because Lu-chan doesn't think of us as men, right?"

Lucy blinked at his frank, yet true, rhetorical question. "Well...I suppose so…"

He grinned and went back to finishing the remains. Lucy stared into space, daydreaming before remembering she had something more important to do. Grabbing out her workbooks, she turned to the boys, "I'm welcome to study right?"

Three heads nodded. "We can help you if you need any help, Lucy," Hibiki offered.

Lucy shook her head. "Nah, it's okay. It's mainly workbooks for prep classes. I'm not a genius, I'm afraid."

"But that's so diligent of you!" Eve exclaimed, and Lucy could've sworn she saw him tearing up a bit. "Gambatte Lu-chan!"

"Yeah, gambatte!" Loke smiled while Hibiki just nodded.

The blonde blinked, unsure how to react. She kind of expected something snarky, being what she was doing was dorky and all. She was also kind of hesitant, fearing that she might get rejected, shunned, and forced to head to the library alone where she usually did her studies. Wait. Did she just indirectly implied that she _liked_ being in their presence?

She looked up from her book to stare at the three boys who seemed so close to each other, who were kind enough to let her in their circle. They might be womanizers but from how they acted around her, she could tell they weren't being impure at all.

Perhaps she could let go of her pet peeve of being around a lot of people.

"Ne, by the way," Lucy asked after she had gotten a sufficient amount of work done, "do you guys usually hang around in a group like this outside of school or…?"

"Why is that Lu-chan?" Eve inquired, causing red to streak across Lucy's face. She took a couple of gulps before asking, "W-well…cause…if it's no big deal, a-and it's only because I have no place else to study b-but…I was wondering if I can sit with you guys tomorrow…?"

The boys stared at her as if she was something to be speculated before bursting into laughter.

"Of course you can," Loke said between pants, "anything for you love."

"Gr-great!" Lucy ignored the 'love' part. "Thanks!"

"But the answer to your question," Hibiki opened his laptop once more. "There's one more person in our group. You can say he's the…leader."

"Oh?" Lucy tilted her head. "Who's that?"

"Gray Fullbuster."

—

The room was subzero, cold. But Gray braved on, snuggling deeper into the hideous bright green couch with a light pink blanket draped over his body.

"Gray, how long are you going to stay in the house?"

From where he sat, he couldn't see her expression but it was probably agitated, her lips pursed into a cute pout. He heard the shower on just before she stepped into the living room. She must still be in a towel right now. Warm liquid started to trickle from his nose and Gray laughed coarsely, grabbing a tissue all the while trying to suppress his wild imaginations. It was futile.

"I dunno…maybe…forever?"

"_Forever_?!" This time, her voice dragged at the last syllable, in an all too exasperated 'I kind of don't expect anything less from you now' kind of tone. It furthered Gray's happiness, his heart thudding rapidly and legs wildly kicking in the air.

"Your _voice_," he gasped, "is _so_ hilarious."

He was robbed of his blanket, the coldness licking his skin as if he was a frozen treat. "What the _hell_, Ultear?! I could catch a cold you know!"

"Great then!" He could fully see her now, her face just as cross as he envisioned it to be, her body scantily covered by a towel just as he hoped it to be. "You'll have an actual excuse to stay at home then!"

Gray resisted laughing, instead, sat upright and rested his chin on a propped elbow. "Aws, won't you be missing me then?"

"_Pft_, who are you kidding Gray?"

It was said far too sarcastically to Gray's liking. He frowned, taking the time to actually stare at her face, attempt to figure her out just as he always did. But like every attempts, she always added one more comment which tipped the world's logic off balance.

"How am I ever going to marry with you being like this?"

His face darkened and Gray snatched back his blanket, covering his entire body with it, mimicking snoring sounds. She was sighing again and oh how he _loved _that sound. He wished he could listen to it forever, he wished he could listen to her voice forever. But when it came to a topic about her leaving him, he hated it.

"Why would you even marry? You have me…and Lyon."

"I was kidding of course but there will be a day when you two will leave me for your futures."

He got up, catching glimpses of relief on her face before it was replaced with artificial sadness. "…are you sad when we leave or…are you…"

His last word was unspoken but both knew what he was trying to get across. Ultear knew it all too well; it showed on her face. She was about to respond when the door of the house was thrust opened and incoming were Gray's friends accompanied by a slightly older, silver haired boy.

"Yo," the silver haired boy exclaimed upon the sight of Gray and the two boys fist bumped. "Staying in the house is not cool, you know."

"Pft, neither is cutting," Gray retorted and Lyon grinned, "I don't need to care as much since I'm a _senior_, remember?"

"What do you mean?" Ultear interjected their brotherly conversation sharply, "as long as I'm still your guardian, you'll have to stay at school as I expect you to."

"Can it, old hag," Lyon sneered, "I got into the damn university you expected me to get into. How much more do you want from me?"

"When you appreciate all the expenses I spent on you and your brother, then I'll ask no more from you."

"What's there to appreciate? You didn't do much for me."

"That's because you're not in the house enough!" She seemed to have suddenly aged a bit, Gray noted. A lot more riled up than she was with him. Gray made a mental note to ask for advice from Lyon later on. He wanted to be cared as much as Lyon was being cared by Ultear. "And stop getting into so much gang fights—"

"—I'm not in as much anymore," Lyon turned his back on his two siblings. "Bye Gray, I'll see you later."

"See you!"

"Come back, Lyon! I haven't finished talking to you yet!" Ultear hurried after Lyon but went back to change when reminded by Gray. Five quick minutes later, she left in her wake a messed up rug from being stepped on too hard. Before she disappeared completely out the house door, she added, "Loke, Eve, Hibiki, please don't make a mess of the house like last time."

The three addressed boys chorused, "Of course not," but flopped themselves sloppily on unoccupied loveseats as soon Ultear was completely gone.

"So how is everything going on with Ultear?" Loke, an orange haired boy, asked casually.

"No progress right?" Hibiki added.

Gray rolled his eyes, half pissed for his troubles being voiced aloud. "Yeah…still no progress. How's everything at school?"

"We met a girl," Eve, normally the quieter one of the group, energetically piped up. "Her name's Lucy Heartphilia!"

"A girl?" His eyebrows quirked up, watching his friend's face blush up. He had known his friends ever since kindergarten, where they met under the circumstances of being the most handsome of their age group. They had formed a kind of playboy group since then, flirting with girls whenever they got a chance at school. Their activities had been low key recently due to his absence but that still shouldn't cause Eve Tearm blushing like one of those ridiculous heroines in shoujos girls foolishly like to read. "Is she the new target?"

"N-no, Lu-chan is really nice," Eve stuttered, "she-"

"-saved Eve from being beaten up," Loke finished.

Gray frowned, "Eve was beaten up? Why?"

"He was flirting with someone's girlfriend," Hibiki nonchalantly said despite Eve's protests not to and while playing with a computer he pulled out. "We were advising him not to but I think he wanted to make you proud or something."

The black haired boy turned to the baby faced member of their group, stroking his wounded cheek. "…putting your health over a chick is _not_ cool, okay?" Eve whimpered under his tender touch but nodded slowly, bringing a smile on Gray's face.

"You're too lenient with him boss," Loke commented, "which is why he's always in those situation."

Gray punched Loke's shoulder playfully, shutting his patronizing mouth momentarily. "What's Hibiki doing?"

The computer whiz of the boys looked up, turning round his laptop for the boys to see. "Searching up info on Lucy."

"What's she like?" Eve perked up, too eagerly. He shrank when his friends stared at him oddly. "I-I mean…so I can give thanks to her tomorrow…"

"You guys are meeting up with her tomorrow?" Gray asked in surprise.

Loke nodded. "She said she had no place else to study."

"She's a study dork?" He crinkled his nose, imagining Lucy as a petite, black haired girl with oversized bangs, spectacles, and face plagued with pimples. If that was the case, then no wonder she'd stick with the boys regardless of their reputation.

"Don't say it like that," Eve scolded, "Lu-chan is very studious. You should learn from her."

He was becoming increasingly annoyed at his best friend's advice to learn from a girl who he never even met before. And if Gray really cared to notice, which he didn't since he didn't really care much about anything, all Eve had been talking about was of this _Lucy_. Heck, even Hibiki was researching this Lucy Heartphilia.

"Okay, I'm meeting her tomorrow," Gray declared, shocking his friends. "I'll stop by lunch so bring her outside to eat, 'kay?"

"…you sure about that?" Loke asked, "I mean…it may be no big deal for you but for her-"

"-it may get really uncomfortable," Eve finished.

"Pft, a _girl_ being uncomfortable around _me_?" Gray laughed at his friends' worries, "like that'll ever happen. Relax. I think you guys are underestimating me here."

—

"Lucy, what is _this_?"

She dared not to raise her head any higher than the height of the mahogany desk in front. Her back was kept leveled at a ninety degree angle.

"A seventy-five, father," she answered stoically. She flinched a little when a ruler narrowly missed her shoulder, banging noisily instead on the desk.

"I thought you studied," her father spoke, "you should score higher than what you're showing me."

"People mess up, okay dad?!" Lucy felt like screaming. But she said, instead, "I apologize for disappointing you, father. I will not allow this to happen again."

"I expect it not, Lucy."

"May I leave for now, father? I need to start on my schoolwork." She knew it was the only excuse that would spare her an hour long lecture.

"Leave. I hope not to see you for the rest of the night."

"Yes father. Good night."

As she exited her father's room, she received not her father's notice of her departure.

"It's fine," Lucy told herself as she walked the long hallways to her room, "father's always like that…" she half expected her mother to comfort her in the warmth of her embrace but remembered the very reason for her father's coldness was her mother's death. And the reason for his declining business was because of his sudden coldness. Charisma was everything in the business world whether it was genuine or not, after all.

"Got to make father proud…" Lucy tried telling herself again, finally reaching her room. Despite having as much money prior her birth and mother's death, Lucy's father endorsed much of their current fortune into extra classes for Lucy, in order for her to outdo most students of her age. Scoring a seventy five on one of her extra classes was a definite hit on her father's expectations.

"I must score higher…" Lucy collapsed on her desk upon flinging the door to her bedroom open. She wished she didn't have to take so many classes on top of keeping up with the courses at school. It was strenuous and she hardly had any time to talk to Levy about books anymore since they had different lunch periods and classes besides that one class. She wanted to be like any other teenage girl; have a boyfriend, hang out with friends, and _just have fun_. Was it too much to hope for?

"Shut up, Lucy," the blonde murmured, pinching her cheeks, "Lunchtime should be alright from now on at least…right?"

"_There's one more person in our group. You can say he's the…leader."_

"Gah!" Lucy banged her head on her table, rubbing her forehead in circles. Why did _he_ have to be part of _their _group? They seemed sensible, albeit a bit narcissist. But Gray was the narcissist of all narcissists with his absence hailing such dishevel at school. It was sickening and she was _not_ looking forward to meeting him.

"But then again, he hasn't been coming to school lately so why would he come tomorrow?" She pondered, and with that thought, she worked happily through her school work well into the late night and early morning.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Before I say anything else, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone!

Okay so yeah. I'm well aware that despite my long, long, long unannounced hiatus, I'm still very inexperienced at keeping characters in character. Bear with me, ne?

Also, for my old readers, this is a spin-off and a replacement for 'Just a Miscellaneous Mess'. I deleted that story, after contemplating for a long time, due to my lack of interest to continue it. Seriously, I hit a dead end chapters _way, way_ back. I apologize thoroughly for my inconsideration of the reviews and alerts you guys invested into that story and _promise_ I won't abandon this story the way I did for that.

I hoped you guys enjoyed this first chapter since I _guarantee_ there's a legit story line for this.

(I haven't gotten about proofreading this so excuse any grammatical mistakes, ne?)


	2. Two

**Two**

"You look terrible."

Lucy ignored her friend's observation, spilling her entire body over her desk. They currently had self study due to their teacher's absence much to Lucy's relief. She had only about two hours worth of sleep, slaving through her workload with the help of coffee. She finally finished in the end but doubted she did a great job on her prep school work which would probably produce yet another unsatisfactory grade. Lucy sighed miserably.

She was going to have to stay behind prep class today to get one-on-one help. How annoying. She just really wanted to sleep tonight.

"Lu-chan, at least wipe your face."

In her haste to arrive school on time, Lucy didn't pay much heed to her appearance, thus smearing much of her makeup. Luckily, for some reason, everyone she was acquaintances with avoided her so she didn't have to face needless embarrassment. But she could always count on Levy to freshen her up.

"Thanks," Lucy accepted the wipes her blue haired friend had out, clearing her face of makeup. "By the way, do you know why people are avoiding me today?"

Something flashed across Levy's eyes that told Lucy there was something she didn't know. "I don't know what you're talking about, Lu-chan."

"Hm…" Lucy eyed Levy suspiciously before looking around for a person she knew in class. She spotted a plain looking girl who she was classmates with since middle school. "Hey! I'm missing some notes from yesterday's lesson. Can I have—"

Her request wasn't even fully said out before her middle school comrade looked conflicted, wounded. She took a few seconds to decide how to reply and finally settled on giving Lucy a curt shout of no and running out of the classroom soon after. Lucy, feeling a bit peeved, turned back to her blue haired friend.

"See? _Clearly_ there's something going on. Fess up, Lev."

"Gosh," Levy pouted, "must you go to such extremes? Fine, Lu-chan! I really didn't want you to get hurt but…"

"…but…?"

"…but…people started talking about yesterday. When you saved Eve from being beaten up. A lot of people are saying you shouldn't have interfered and disliking you for that. The girls, well, hate that you're the only girl those boys hang out with."

"What! So I'm being avoided for doing the right thing and for hanging out with _boys_? Are they calling me a slut?"

"W-well yes but-"

"-pft. This is ridiculous. People are ridiculous. You're not going to abandon me are you, Levy?"

Levy gasped, comically placing her hands over her chest, "Wh-what do you think of me as Lu-chan? I'm…not one of _them_, okay?"

The blonde smiled. "Hai, hai. Gomen for thinking that way—"

"—what are you girls up to?" a happy, bubbly voice cut.

The source of interruption came in the form of a pink haired boy with a too wide, toothy grin. Natsu Dragneel, class rep.

"None of your business," Lucy muttered, going back to her workbooks, feigning a self-study session, "what are you doing here?"

"What Lucy means is," Levy hurriedly covered for her friend, "what do you need?"

His smile was still intact. How Lucy yearned to wipe it off. "I'm in charge of collecting the end of the semester final paper! Papers please!"

"Ah okays," Levy went to rummage through her bag while Lucy looked through her own. As she did, she felt Natsu's curious gaze burning the back of her neck. That was yet another trait she disliked about the popular, easygoing boy. He was always friendly to everyone, even if he wasn't well received. He also had this uncanny knack of seeing through people with his childlike eyes. Those wide, brown eyes…Lucy hated them.

It was as if he wanted to be everyone's hero.

"I can't find it," Lucy said finally, five minutes after Levy handed hers. She looked to Natsu, wondering what his reaction would be. Would he laugh it off, calling her baka with the pretense of old friends? Or would he snort and walk away?

"Ah that's okay then," he looked through the pile of papers in his hand and pulled out one. "Here, you can copy mines. Just give it to me before the bell rings, 'kay?"

She took it unwillingly, not wanting to meet the eyes of a smiling saint. Yep, she was right about Natsu. He _was_ the hero. And it made her feel sick in the stomach since this hero was helping out a jealous scumbag like her.

"Thanks…"

"No problem!" He patted her head, "I'm going to go to hand some other stuff but I'll be back!"

Lucy nodded slowly, watching Natsu stride away in his eccentric fashion. He was a bit presumptuous in that department, the way he could approach anyone without any regards. And that should be the answer of a growing question inside her but still, she called to him.

"Natsu! Everyone's avoiding me but why are you still so friendly—"

"—because I think you're cool." It was a simple yet strangely logical explanation. "Hurry up on that paper, Luigi!"

…yeah, he was definitely presumptuous.

—

"Lu-chan!"

The blonde tore her attention away from balancing books in one hand and her lunch in the other, spotting Eve who seemed to be catching his breath from rushing to her.

"Whoa, there," Lucy smiled, "what's the rush? I'm not running off."

"Just wanted to make sure you didn't get lost, Lu-chan," he winked and Lucy giggled.

As he guided her to where the rest of the boys were sitting for the day, Lucy couldn't help but notice the attention they attracted. With each step they took, people parted with dirty looks shot directly towards her. Lucy decided Levy was right—people _were_ disliking her for interfering yesterday. Lucy glanced back at Eve who was too busy chattering. His cheeks were tinted pink and eyes gleaming brightly.

She found it hard to believe such a boy deserved a physical beating.

"And here we are," Eve gestured to their final destination. Lucy looked around uncertainly, feeling a bit nervous that they were farther away from the school premises and closer to outdoors. Still, the friendly atmosphere the boys kept around them soothed her enough to sit down among them.

"So what did you get for lunch today, Lucy?" Loke asked, his hand inching close to her bento tray. Lucy snatched it back.

"Oh no, I'm _hungry_ today," she said, "you're not getting any. None of you are." Loke whimpered but relented, throwing puppy faces now and then. Lucy simply stuffed her lunch into her mouth, chewing and swallowing slowly to emphasize how delicious her lunch was. She internally laughed at the comical looks Loke produced, facing towards the beaming sun. Its warm rays tickled her skin and she chewed even slower, in a more unladylike way. It was truly a nice day today despite how horribly it had started for her. But…at least she could savor this moment—

"What's this?" her comforting warmth was replaced by a shadow and Lucy slowly opened her eyes, mouth slightly agape, filled with chewed food. Crouching before her was a black haired boy, his white colored shirt half buttoned, his onyx eyes evidently inspecting her. "She's _Lucy_?"

The way he said her name infuriated her a bit. He sounded as if her name was garbage, something he was forced into saying. She jumped up, startling this outsider to step back a bit. "Who-uff-you're-to-stch-" she tried combating, forgetting that she had yet to finish eating whatever was in her mouth.

"Don't talk while you're eating," the boy retorted in a way that he had proven a point. He turned to the rest of the boys, his attention for Lucy completely gone. "So since I'm here, what do you guys have to eat? I'm _ravished_."

Ravished he says? Lucy grumpily took a handful of rice, eyeing the pompous intruder who was currently engaged in a conversation with the rest of the boys. He might have a close relationship with them but she hardly knew him and had already gotten insulted. As if she was going to let that go.

_Splat!_

Lucy smiled as the rice hit the back of his head perfectly, and her smile widened more when the rice turned out to be soaked in soy sauce. Silence washed over the three boys as the raven haired boy mechanically turned around, his charcoal eyes fiery.

"What. Is. _This_?" he growled to which Lucy stuck her tongue out. "Serves you right. Get some manners won't you?"

He didn't reply, instead, walked closer and closer to the blonde whose confidence was crumbling by the closing distance. She didn't expect him to get so fired up over a joke like that. She shut her eyes tightly, praying in her heart that he wouldn't pummel her down for what she did.

Otherwise things would get ugly.

However, just as she felt his presence a centimeter away from hers, a snicker broke the tenseness and following after, a howl of laughter. She opened her eyes, seeing the black haired boy shouting at the three boys who were laughing.

"St-stop it!" His cheeks were growing red, curiously reminding Lucy of a child who couldn't take a joke. "Wh-why are you laughing?!"

"Because," Eve wiped away a tear, "you looked funny trying to be serious with r-rice all over you!"

It was true, now that he had mentioned it. Previously he had a refined, arrogant air that was stifling but now, he seemed vulnerable, childish and…hilarious.

Lucy finally laughed, joining the chorus of laughter.

"Wh-what!" He stuttered, pointing a finger at Lucy. "How dare _you_ laugh at me! Wh-why—"

"—stop," Lucy said between pants, "gosh. Just take a joke, won't you?"

"Hmph," he crossed his arms, only fulfilling his portrayal of a toddler, "I won't have any of you ridiculing _me_."

His comment went ignored as the rest continued to laugh away. It soon died out as Lucy wiped away a final tear.

"By the way. Who are you?"

"What do you think of Gray Fullbuster?"

"Gray Fullbuster?" Lucy's eyebrows rose a bit. She wasn't quite happy to be answered with a question but guessed it couldn't hurt. "Gray Fullbuster. I hate him."

He took a step back, seemingly have took an arrow in the chest, "Wh-why?"

"Because he's a bastard who gets so much attention without doing anything." She didn't know what occurred in her to be so open minded with this bastard but perhaps that was why. She was trying to reason with someone she didn't really have anything to lose. In a way it was refreshing-

"What! So you're just jealous of him then!"

Lucy took that back. It was definitely _not_ refreshing talking to this bastard. "What the hell! I'm not jealous of him! I bet _you're_ the one who's actually jealous of him! You're probably his admirer or something, aren't you?"

"Actually, Lucy," Loke piped up, "he's—"

His mouth was immediately covered by the black haired boy who said, "I'm Gray's older brother, actually. Lyon Fullbuster."

"What." Well, that revelation wasn't all too surprising. She guessed it did make sense for the older brother to act as foolish as his phantom brother. "Why the hell is Gray's older brother here and not Gray himself then?"

Lyon was at a loss for words, his arms wildly swayed in the air as his mind searched for an answer.

"B-because," he finally let out, "I'm…checking to see if everything's alright for my little brother."

—

"_Checking to see if everything's alright for my little brother?_" Hibiki mimicked, a smile tugging the corners of his lips.

Gray sulked, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he walked alongside with his friends the way back home. He had waited for school to let out and when it finally did, his friends made no hesitation to poke fun at him for what had happened during lunch. Eve, especially, seemed to enjoy this the most.

"You should see your face," he teased, poking the taller boy in the cheek.

"Hai, hai," Gray muttered, "that girl's just annoying. Stop hanging around her."

"And you even introduced yourself as Lyon," Loke continued, ignoring Gray. "The prideful Gray Fullbuster, succumbing himself—"

"—why you," Gray growled, having enough. He raised his fist but both Hibiki and Loke dodged perfectly, laughing in synch.

"As much as we'd like to stay," Hibiki started.

"We have afterschool prep here," Loke finished.

"You guys are prepping?" It was the first time Gray had heard of his two playboy friends having the slightest interest in their studies. "For what?"

"Entrance exams for universities of course," Hibiki matter-of-factly said as Loke went ahead into the building besides them. "We're not geniuses like you, Gray. Later."

Gray nodded; staring at their retreating back with Eve until their figures completely disappeared. Then, he turned to the smaller boy. "You're not prepping for university, Eve?"

"Nah, I'm going to take over my father's business."

Oh right. His father held a hotel franchise and expected his only son to take over.

"What about you, Gray?"

"Me?" Gray turned to Eve, wondering how he should answer. He had never thought of what he would do in the future. The most he ever thought of doing was—

"Oh, wait, you just want to please Ultear, don't you?"

The mention of the love of his life brought a wide smile on Gray's face as he nodded. "Yep!"

"But Gray…someday you'll fall out of love you know. What will you do then?"

"What do you mean—"

"—never mind." His tone was tired, weary. As though Eve had sensed he was heading for a never ending argument if he let Gray continued. "Do you really dislike Lucy?"

The switch in topic displeased Gray especially since the change was of _that blonde_. Nevertheless, Gray candidly replied, "Yes. She seems annoying."

"Eh…" Eve looked down on the ground, fidgeting the shoulder strap of his bag. "…is that so…?"

"Why?" Gray was suddenly concerned that there had to be a reason for the unexpected question. "Do you like her or something?"

It was just a wild guess but never in the world did Gray expect for his guess to actually be correct. His best friend became cherry red, losing the capability to speak correctly. "W-well. N-no. I mean. Y-you don't a-approve of her s-so—"

"—it's fine," he cut, "go for it. Don't let my opinion get in the way."

Eve's eyes widened and he happily chirped, "Okay!"

"God," Gray roughly toyed with his hair despite protests, "don't sound so relieved. You make me feel like a bad guy. Ne, up for ramen? I'll pay."

"Ah, gomen Gray," Eve escaped his touch, bowing apologetically, "Father wants to talk to me about hotel management."

"It's fine," Gray nodded, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Eve smiled and walked away, adding, "Don't tell anyone what I said!"

"Hai, hai," Gray rolled his eyes at his friend's urgent confirmation. He definitely didn't trust him one bit. Ah, well, it wasn't too surprising. Gray folded his arms above his head, stretching his sore arms. He hadn't been outdoors for this long in awhile. Everything truly looked differently from the new additions of buildings to the polished, renovations of what were once rundown buildings. The world had been moving on rapidly without him—including his friends.

"Loke and Hibiki want to go to college…" Gray murmured, walking his way home, "…and Eve is going to inherit a hotel franchise…"

What did he want to do? He hadn't ever thought of doing anything other than fulfilling whatever Ultear expected of a man. That was always good enough for him.

"Yes, that's good enough for me," Gray stopped in front of a coffee house, remembering Ultear's favorite desert was cake pops. He had cash with him so he might as well buy a couple. "…but _Fairy Tail_? What a lame name for a coffee house."

—

"Oh god." Lucy purposely packed up slowly so she could ask the tutor in private for extra tutoring. It was embarrassing to ask additional tutoring for the extra prep classes but she couldn't afford another of her father's confrontation. And so she kept unzipping, unpacking, repacking, and re-zipping her bookbag, annoyed at how talkative her peers of the tutoring place were being today. Normally they were unsociable nerds but they just _had_ to pick this day.

When the final teenager exited, Lucy zoomed over where the tutor was still packing his own briefcase. He looked up and Lucy lowered her head. "G-gomen, Nullpuding-sensei b-but I think I need help on this."

She shoved her graded seventy-five papers forward, nervously anticipating his response. Unexpectedly, a large hand went atop her shoulders. Lucy looked up, seeing a suspiciously sly expression on her sensei's face.

"Oh, is that so, Lucy-san?" he cooed, his voice perverted. The girl shivered. "P-please call me Heartphilia-san, I'm just your pupil."

"Yes, yes, that is right…" his hand suddenly trailed from her shoulder down her arm. Lucy jerked back, clutching her arm defensively. "Wh-what are you doing, sensei?"

He opened his mouth but his cellphone rang the exact time. After having a brief exchange, he turned to Lucy. "I'm afraid I'll be unavailable for…help…today. After class tomorrow should be fine."

Lucy nodded rigidly, her lungs constricting. As soon as Nullpuding-sensei bid her good bye, Lucy sprinted the entire journey home, not bothering to take off her shoes when she arrived. Marching into her father's office, she shouted, "Father! You _have_ to let me drop out of Nullpuding-sensei's class!"

Her father, evidently alarmed at his daughter's outburst, said coldly, "Lucy. I'm currently finishing important paperwork. Talk to me when you are done speaking nonsense."

The young blonde stared at her father incredulously, dumbfounded that her worry state hadn't even fazed the businessman. "B-but, Nullpuding-sensei…he…asked me to stay after class tomorrow and—"

"—so stay after class," his response was curt and direct as always. "Nullpuding is an acclaimed sensei. You have to put effort in his class even if it is prep. If you have the time to worry about nonsense, put those efforts into your studies."

Did…she just get lectured? Lucy blinked, unfeeling the stare her father gave her before turning back to his previous engagement.

"If that is all you have to speak of, leave."

Which she did, after it registered to her that her father didn't care of her welfare one bit. All he cared was if his money was well spent or not.

"F-fine…" Lucy murmured, trying her best not to cry, "…I'll…do this for you…father…."

—

"What's this?" Ultear poked the box of cake pops hesitantly with one finger.

"Cake pops," Gray answered, "and they're dark chocolate too!"

Her dour face softened a bit as she fingered the ribbons of the box filled with pastries. "Is that so?"

"Yeah!" The boy was pleased to have lightened up his sister's mood which was ruined by her inability to bring Lyon back home. "I thought I could cheer you up."

"Going to school would cheer me up," Ultear mumbled as she undid the ribbons and took out a dark chocolate cake pop, biting into it immediately.

"Well…" If she said him going to school would cheer her up, maybe he should fess up. "…I did _go_ to school today."

"Really." Her voice seemed more than energetic. "Tell me more. Are you going to attend there regularly from now on?"

Gray grabbed a random cake pop from the box, walking out of the living room to avoid the conversation. "I'm sleepy Ultear."

He heard his sister's footsteps and cries of 'wait!' enclosing on him but he luckily outpaced her, locking his bedroom door behind him. Waiting for his sister to give up and walk back downstairs, Gray pulled out the cake pop, surprised to see it was vanilla flavored.

"Did they get a mess up?" he questioned to no one in particular. "Yuck…it smells of _her_."

Yes, in spite of the commotion he stirred up with the blonde, he had to admit, her vanilla fragrance was addicting to the nose. Gray figured that could be the main reason Eve liked her. He couldn't think of any other reason. She was unladylike, violent, and _annoying_—all the traits Ultear didn't have. The scent of the vanilla cake pop in his hand broke Gray's train of thoughts and he eyed it for awhile.

Still, a treat was a treat regardless if it was a reminder of _her_. He unenthusiastically stuck it in his mouth.

"…it's sweet…and yummy."

* * *

**Author's Note**

Thanks, you guys, for fav/follow/reviewing this fanfic! ^^ It really means a lot to me! Also, if you spot any mistakes I've made, feel free to point it out.

And to IdiotMee: I thought the first chapter is a weak start but thanks for the compliment! I hope I've updated fast enough. ^^


	3. Three

**Three**

_Splat_. The ink dyed blonde didn't let a single expression cross her face. Neither did she step away from her locker, which acted temporarily as her shield. Lucy wasn't facing a mirror but had an idea how her outward appearance was like.

"T-t…" she trembled, her grip on the metallic door tightening, "these people—"

It wasn't only her body that got horribly sprayed with paint; her workbooks which she spent hours organizing were all ruined, the money she was forced by her father to spend all went to waste. One by one Lucy delicately emptied the locker, inspecting each item for any that miraculously stayed intact. None of them survived the blue hue massacre.

What remained unaffected was a small, folded square paper that fluttered at Lucy's feet after she took the last book out. Reaching to pick it up, she read what was written on it, crumbling it immediately.

"_Stop being a know-it-all_?" she laughed coarsely, reciting what she had just read, "_You can't please everyone, slut._ Hah, you guys don't know how hard I'm trying…"

"She's crying…" a passing student behind her whispered.

"Shh, she's Lucy Heartphilia."

"You know her?"

"Yeah. She's in one of my classes. Don't get too close. She's a _loser_."

Whimpers escaped her lips as she waited for everyone to clear away before picking up all her books and making her way to the nurse's office. Freak out session was for later, right now she was in dire need of a visit to the nurse's office before anyone she knew saw her—

"Lu-chan?" She froze, knowing who was calling her without turning around. "Lu-chan! You have a free period right now too? Let's hang out—"

"—sorry Eve," she interrupted, almost feeling disappointment oozing from the boy's presence, "I have something to do. I'll see you at lunch though, ne?"

She missed the stutters of a nervous boy but the least of her concerns was deciphering the emotions of a lovesick boy.

—

"Lu-chan!" her best friend went white at her entrance, as did most of her other classmate. Lucy rather expected it yet held some foolish hope something like this wouldn't happen. After all, her brand new shirt was messily tie-dyed, as did her shoes which left a trail behind her wake. "Wh-what happened?"

She fought frustration down her throat, not wanting to give in to the whispers of others who passed by her. She tried oh so hard to clean up the mess but it somehow still showed. "I…I…"

Seeing as her friend was in no state of speaking, Levy sighed and pushed her friend to a seat, draping her white cropped jacket over Lucy. It covered much of her ruined shirt. "There," Levy chirped, winking at the slightly shocked Lucy, "you look adorable Lu-chan. Don't look so down like that!"

"Levy…" Lucy whimpered gratefully, "…thanks…"

"No problem!" Levy ruffled Lucy's hair. "If you ever have any troubles, just ask me! Now let me redo your hair!"

"Thanks, Levy," Lucy murmured as she let her best friend brush through her messed up hair. Both girls were silent except for Levy's soothing humming. "Ne…Levy…what would you do if a guy was bothering you?"

"Hm?" Levy stopped brushing, "a guy is bothering you Lu-chan? Is it someone I know?"

"Well…he might be someone you know…"

"Really?" Levy's face appeared suddenly next to hers. "Who is it Lu-chan?"

Already was Lucy regretting her choice in asking her question but she had come this far so she had to continue. "I-it's Lyon. Gray's older brother?"

"Lyon?" Confusion sprung in the face of the bluette, twisting in different shades simultaneously. "He's bothering you? That's rather funny."

"Funny?" Even if Lyon irritated her, Lucy couldn't deny that her interest was piqued. "Why you say so?"

"Because," Levy went back to the arduous task of taming her hair, each stroke sending a tiny shock of pain up to Lucy's head. "He's not the type to care. Neither is his brother."

Lucy wondered about the suggestive intimacy of Levy's words, ready to question her friend so when the teacher decided to make an appearance at last.

After class ended, Levy quickly hurried out…as though she wanted to avoid Lucy.

—

"Hi, hi, you guys!" Lucy brightly exclaimed, waving as she approached the boys outside. She soured at the sight of Lyon but brushed it off, determined not to spoil anyone else's mood. "I decided to buy melon bread for lunch this time. You guys can have some!"

"Uwah~Lucy is so nice," Loke exclaimed, rubbing his melon bread against his face, "I'll treasure this forever—"

"—don't," Lucy interrupted, handing one to Hibiki who mumbled a distracted thanks. He was engaged by something on his laptop. "Here you go, Eve," Lucy turned to the youngest looking member of the womanizer group, careful not to let anything give away her previous emotions.

"Thanks," Eve chirped, "I'm very happy that Lu-chan has brought me something to eat! I'll treat you to something next time, ne?"

It seemed like he didn't suspect anything. Thank goodness. "I'll be looking forward to it, Eve!"

"What about me?"

She rigidly turned to the boy she wanted to avoid the most; his expression as expectant and callous as ever. If you don't care, then don't ask for one, Lucy felt like screaming. But she swallowed that thought away with a rigid smile.

"Here you go, Lyon," she chirped, but she snatched it away as soon as he grabbed for it. "Only if you stop poking fun at me and leave me alone."

"_Me_?" He was making quite a show, his eyes widened and hands placed on his chest like a girl. "Why would _I_ give a daylight to a girl such as you—"

"—oh shut up," she relinquished the bread, annoyed with him already.

"Thought so." Oh how much she wished she could wipe that smug smirk on his face. "By the way, why the hell did you cry?"

This brought the attention of all the boys to her.

"You were crying, Lucy?" Hibiki asked.

"You should've come to me, Lucy," Loke whined, attempting to hug her, "I could've embraced—"

"Lucy, you really should've said something," Eve interrupted, seeing Lucy's discomfort. He pushed Loke to the side and looked straight into Lucy's eyes. "We're here for you."

Lucy bit her bottom lip, hating how one crudely worded question had stirred up everyone. This is precisely what she wanted to avoided. "I'm alright, Eve. Thanks for the concern. I didn't cry," she denied.

In her mind, she started to panic. Had she made herself visible when she cleaned herself up? She didn't recall bumping into Lyon during the day and—wait.

She never shed a tear.

The perpetrator of her discomfort shrugged after everyone stared at him questioningly. "Well, I guess I worded it wrong. It's more like; why do you look like you want to cry."

"I…" Does she look like she wanted to cry? No one had told her that today though. "…_do not_ want to cry. Stop accusing people like that!"

"Pft, accusing? It's true," Lyon scoffed. He leaned closer so that their faces nearly touched. His half lidded eyes seemed to be calculating the ever slightest movement she was making…right down to the rhythm of her heart.

"G-get away from me!" she shouted, pushing him with all her strength. It surprised everyone but she didn't want him near her. She just realized she hated one more thing about Lyon. It was his intuition. Out of the four, he was the most observant, most candid. And she feared that. She feared everything she had been struggling to keep a façade of would break at the mere statement Lyon makes. She wanted to protect herself.

The lunch bell rang. It looked like something was finally going in Lucy's favor.

—

"Sensei, I feel really uncomfortable about this," Lucy started but was answered with silence. She sighed. It wasn't just the place that made her feel uneasy (well, being the confines of a shady room with suspicious wallpaper was unsettling already) but the car ride Nullpuding-sensei gave her and to a place she didn't like to see. Nevertheless, sensei assured a one-on-one session would take place after they make an errand so Lucy was forced to relent.

To be honest, she didn't have a favorable impression of Nullpuding-sensei. Already did yesterday's conversation made her wish she could be miles and miles away from the bastard but she had to endure for the sake of her father.

"First the ink, then Lyon, and now this," she rubbed her head as she sank deeper in the hideously pink, heart-shaped seat. "How is Lyon able to figure it out anyways?" She groaned after her brain could no longer take the enigma of Lyon. She settled for 'boys are stupid' as her answer.

"Pardon my delay," a husky voice pierced the room and Lucy looked up to see sensei approaching. She stood up but was gestured to stay seated. "We're here so we might as well stay," he explained and Lucy frowned. "I…I don't think I can…"

"_Stay_," he snarled in the embodiment of a vicious, carnivorous animal preying on its meal of the day. It was such a dramatic change that Lucy did as she was told, not remembering when, exactly, did her sensei slink back to his usual demeanor.

As Nullpuding-sensei began explaining, she became comfortable. Much of his words struck sense and she started to reform her opinion of him, casting one by one every ill-intended opinion she had of him. When it became late in the night, she shut the book, chirping appreciatively, "Thank you Nullpuding-sensei! I don't know how I can ever repay you!"

"Repay me?" he chuckled humorously, "hm, you can always repay me…with your body."

"Eh?"

Within seconds, she was thrown off her chair and onto the bare floor, a heavy body weighing her down on the cold pavement. She struggled under the strong grasp of Nullpuding-sensei, kicking wildly but was soon pinned down. A wet tongue started to trickle from her neck and further down until Lucy shifted her neck away.

"Get _off_," she cried, "why the hell are you doing this—"

"—shut up," he murmured, going back where he left off, "I'll make sure you enjoy it…don't worry…"

He began to fumble her shirt with one hand, Lucy's heart starting to pound. This was definitely not happening. This sort of things just _doesn't_ happen in real life. It couldn't. What kind of scandal between a teacher and a student held truth anyways? This was just a nightmare. A vivid, grotesque nightmare.

Lucy squeezed her eyes and opened them, in hopes of seeing the white ceiling of her bedroom. Instead, the hair of Nullpuding's nostrils came into view. He was muttering about the annoyances of unbuttoning girl's clothes.

…so it wasn't a nightmare.

She bit her lips as she felt Nullpuding unbutton the last button. What was she doing? Was she seriously going to lose her virginity here? In this room with her pervert of a teacher? And what about this shirt? It was going to be dirtied. And it wasn't even hers. It belonged to the kind nurse she met in the school's infirmary.

Finally gaining a shred of composure, Lucy jolted forcefully her left leg into where it hurts the most. It brought her some time to escape which she did, and thankfully there was a crowd of people out the room for her to be lost in. When she was sure Nullpuding would not be able to find her, she collapsed, on her knees, exhausted and unable to contain herself.

Eyes started to water and…

"Eh? Lucy?" The blonde shivered, and looked into the eyes of Lyon. He was dressed differently, more cordial and handsome. In his hand held a box of pastries. "You're crying again aren't you-"

She couldn't help it. Impulsively, she embraced the boy, causing him to let go of the sweets. Her body shivered, and she didn't stop sniffling. She felt his shirt dampening but didn't hear a complaint. She decided this as permission to cry and she did. Loudly.

And all the meanwhile, he didn't push her away. He just let her use him, wordlessly and patiently.

When she stopped, she detached herself from Lyon. He had a disgusted expression on. "So after you've soaked me completely, will you tell me why you're crying?"

Lucy blinked. She didn't tremble anymore which was a good thing but she still wasn't sure whether she should let out an explanation. But from how she had troubled him, she guessed an explanation should suffice.

"W-well…it was just from this situation which led to me getting more help but then that help was useless and father forced me to use that help and well—"

"—can you say it in a way I can understand?" his harsh, demanding tone pierced Lucy. "I'm not a genius you know. And I don't exactly have all the time in the world."

She looked robotically agape at him. He was an asshole, no doubt about it but he had misled her into using him. Why was he acting as if it was _her_ fault? "Sh-shut up! Shut up! Rot in hell! Both you and your brother! Go bald! _Baka!_" she marched away, new tears starting spring.

"I don't care," she decided, "I don't care anymore."

—

"What the hell was that about?" Gray frowned at the retreating figure of the blonde. "She cries, says something stupid, gets mad at me. What?"

"Gray!" Gray looked back to see Eve approaching, and he nodded. "What took you so long?"

"Sorry," Eve panted, "I was held back by dad again." Noticing the pastries on the ground, his eyes lit up. "Oh, food! Wait…" his eyebrows contorted in disgust. "Is it…_cake pops_?"

"Yes," Gray defensively reached for the bag, opening to inspect them. "What's so bad about cake pops?"

"What's so _bad_?" Eve said in disbelief, "after eating for it for years, I've come to despise it. If only your sister liked something healthy…and cheap."

Gray shrugged, not caring the cost of his sister's favorite foods. No matter how expensive, he'd be sure to buy them. Speaking of which, his allowance was starting to dwindle. Perhaps he should get a job.

"Fuck," he cursed pulling crushed cake pop after another. "They're all ruined."

"Oh?" Eve peered into the bag and pulled out a vanilla cake pop. "This one's perfect. But I thought Ultear hated vanilla."

"She does," Gray took the only perfectly intact cake pop, "Mix up again? And what the heck…why is this fine and not…"

He was about to continue with 'her' but luckily stopped himself. Eve tugged at his sleeve from the side, waiting for him to continue. Gray, however, pondered to himself _why_ he was concerning himself with the blonde.

Gray Fullbuster didn't care about anyone but his sister.

—

"Heavens, he found _this_ place," a black haired beauty found herself agonizing over a matter that has been troubling her for years. "Where the heck can I go to now?"

She crossed her legs, tapping her slender fingers along the table beside her impatiently. Contrast to her outward mood, she was actually quite content. The pompous air she kept around her was merely to ward off the perverts that were inexistent of the café away. But then again, she was always good at that, regardless of pompous air or not. The enigma she was experiencing at the moment was why it didn't keep _Gray_ away.

"If he comes to this place when I'm here, I'm toast," She muttered, "why can't he be less troublesome like Lyon? Even if Lyon isn't much better…"

"Oh? Is Ultear thinking of another man?" a velvety voice purred into her ears. Ultear twitched, swinging a failed punch at the man behind her. He chuckled and fluidly slipped into the seat in front of her.

"Jellal," she growled, "what took you so long? I've been waiting for a while."

"Gomen, gomen," he apologetically smiled, "Erza wanted something on the way. Were you thinking of your brothers again?"

"Yeah," Ultear's initial anger simmered to slight annoyance, already used to Jellal's child like antics since childhood, "it's such a hassle to take care of them."

"Ah yes, you never did want to house them, right?"

_K-thunk!_ The sound of a fork stabbing into the table came as no surprise to Jellal. He was used to his friend's violent tendencies. "Are you trying to test me?"

"No," his smile never left. "It's just that you used to go on and on about Ur when we were younger."

"That's before her sin and her cursing me with Lyon and Gray," Ultear bitterly replied, "god, I'm a freaking grown woman! I should be able to earn money on my own and support myself! Instead I'm worrying myself if Gray will ever survive by himself or if Lyon will truly go to college and—"

"—you want me to discipline them?" the latecomer of the group spoke, slipping into the seat next to Jellal.

"Erza," Ultear smiled warmly, "maybe you should! But I don't want to rely on you so much."

"That's alright," The red head woman replied, "I know how much you lost when you were little."

"Heh, I still managed to get by," Ultear awkwardly scratched her chin.

At that moment, the door of the café burst open and standing were the infamous pinkette and a new blonde he brought in.

"Looks like Natsu brought someone new," Ultear observed the two walking to the counter.

"He better hope he treats her well," Erza mused, "otherwise he'd get a beating."

"She looks pretty cute," Jellal chirped, "you think I have a chance?"

The blue haired man exited the café with two bruises that day.

—

She sought refuge in the gray stoned stoops of a nearby bakery, its warmth from the opening doors hitting her back. Lucy fought the urge to walk in, knowing she'd feel immediately out of place by its jubilant atmosphere.

"…I don't want to go home…" she murmured thoughtfully, half recovering from the near-scandal she had experienced earlier, "…but…where could I go…"

It wasn't the first time Lucy had questioned her role in society. If she wasn't her father's daughter, what was she? But she refused to give in to her father's orders if it meant interacting with the…_molester_ again. Lucy curled herself tighter into a ball, hoping that perhaps Kami-sama would be kind enough to bring her to a nicer place. Where she didn't have to deal with the troubles of everyday life.

"Luigi?" There was only one person who would call her that. Lucy grunted, not heeding to his attention. "_What_?"

"Nothing. I was just sitting inside and saw you here. What are you doing?"

…he fitted precisely what she labeled him as; a hero. But what she wanted wasn't a hero. She wanted someone greater than that. She wasn't quite sure who that was but it certainly was not a person who fixed things only on the surface.

"None of your business," came her grumbled reply.

His happy demeanor faltered not one bit. "Well, inside beats sitting outside." He opened the door with one arm, gesturing her to enter with the other. "C'mon in! There's lots of food to eat!"

She debated on his offer. While it was beneficial to stay indoors rather than outdoors, she wasn't quite sure if she could trust Natsu. And even if she did, she could go inside herself but didn't for the reasons she went over before. Sensing her unease, Natsu gently poked her arm, his voice strangely comfortable, like a lullaby.

"Trust me, Lucy. I won't do anything."

She was so entranced that she didn't notice that he had addressed her properly at last. Walking in before Natsu, her eyes widened at the sight which greeted her, its homely air feeling foreign to the blonde whose idea of a home is silence and a mansion which stretches on for acres and acres. But this place is a dramatic contrast, its wallpaper an autumn fragrance, people sitting comfortably in loveseats chattering. One group of people caught Lucy's attention in particular; it consisted of one red head, one blue haired man, and one black haired woman. Both women seem to be saying something condescending, eliciting a look of sorrow from the man. The scene seemed so comical that Lucy couldn't help but laugh with the women, gaining the attention of the three adults.

"Eh…" she sweat-dropped, "I…didn't…"

"Luigi!" She thanked her luck for being saved, walking briskly to the boy who was seated at the counter. There was a reserved spot beside him.

"So what is this place?" she asked when she comforted herself.

"It's a coffee house called Fairy Tail. They make the _best_ cake pops in the world. You should try them Luigi!"

Lucy, about to correct the boy, spotted from the corner of her eyes a giggling lavender haired girl. She was hiding herself behind a door which Lucy thought to be rude and cowardly. "Ne, who is that girl?" Lucy nudged the boy who promptly hollered, "_Lisanna_! Come out and meet Luigi!"

When the girl finally revealed herself, she scrutinized at the boy. "Oi…I really wanted to see your date going on longer…"

"_Date_?" Natsu echoed while Lucy bit her tongue from screaming. In no ways did she want to involve herself with Natsu in that way. "Lisanna! This is Lucy, my _friend_." But there was a perplexing jab at the heart when Natsu emphasized friend. Lucy stared at the floor, trying to reason herself.

"Lucy, _gomen_," Lucy's attention was snapped back at the two friends. Lisanna had her hands clapped apologetically. "I thought you were Natsu's girlfriend!"

"It's alright," Lucy shrugged but didn't miss the relief that was apparent on Natsu's face and even less so on Lisanna's. Did she imagine it or…?

"C'mon Luigi," Natsu grabbed her hand, pulling her forward with him. "I'll give you a tour of this place! You'll have a nice time, I promise!"

She scoffed at those words but unbelievably so, she truly did have a nice time. There were a surprisingly different varieties of people cramped up in that tiny coffee house. There was a girl who liked to drink a lot, a man who boasted the meaning of 'man' 24/7 (who she later learned was related to Lisanna). She even learned the names of the trio of adults she noticed earlier. Their names were Erza, Jellal and Ultear. Through the short interactions she had with them, it obvious to her that Jellal harbored a crush on Ultear, and Erza harbored a crush on Jellal. (Lucy prayed for their lasting friendship when it was time to leave.)

They seemed really comfortable with each other and while love may be temporary, friendship was eternal.

When she reached the door, Natsu was already waiting. He cocked his head to the side, waiting for her opinion.

"I had a great time," Lucy finally smiled, bowing in thanks. Two hands fell on her shoulder and she was forced to stand straight.

"It's my pleasure!" Natsu chirped happily, "Next time you feel bad, just come over to Fairy Tail!"

Lucy had to chuckle. It was strange. She had tried not to like this person but it was nearly impossible not to feel giddy around him. Like his whole existence was a supply of happiness or something.

"But why were you crying before?" he looked at her with a sort of childhood innocence, making it hard for Lucy to resist.

"He does seem less…bipolar than Gray…" she thought.

And, in slow, steady words, she retold her tale to the boy who willingly listened, soaking every bit she verbalized. Finally, he said, "Wow Lucy…you're pretty strong." Lucy blinked, not registering what was said. "Yes Lucy, you're strong!" Natsu pouted, "You're pretty strong! For putting up a front like that! That's really, _really_ great! Being happy is the best thing after all but being with your friends during hardships, telling them your troubles…that's really strong of you!"

They spoke a little more afterwards but all Lucy could recall were the compliments he showered her with. Even as she approached near her house, the way his face lit up when he looked at her, the way his lips moved to form words, etched itself in Lucy's mind. Her heart thumped and cheeks flamed a bit despite the cool night air that was blowing. Just as Lucy entered the house, she paused, horror spreading in her.

Oh god…did she just…_fall in love_?

* * *

**Author's Note**

One day, I need to reread these chapters and proofread them. School is making me lazy, I swear. :/ But anyways, was it a little fast for Lucy to fall in love? I'm always so terrible at lead ups like it. ;_; Sigh. Hm, well, I don't really know about this chapter. It's sort of weird-ish I guess. Lol. I hope you guys enjoyed it, nevertheless.

Thanks for your support!


	4. Four

**Four**

She's feeling the brightest in the world in the sunshining world, her every step taken with heavenly ease. Her mind was afresh with all things innocent, a sort of luxury she hadn't been able to afford up until yesterday.

"Ah, I wonder if he's here," she wondered when her legs have taken her in front of the cafe from yesterday, "what face should I make if I see him?"

She giggled at her childish insecurities, feeling at once like the princesses in those books she had read when she was little. During the times when her mom was alive and her father was still at peace.

At the moment, the door opened and a boy stepped out, Lucy anticipating the boy who had given her light to make an appearance. Instead, it was the boy who was intent on pushing her further, the person she least wanted to see.

He had a bagel in his mouth, sporting a childish happiness Lucy didn't think he was capable of having. But when he noticed her, the irises of his eyes darkened and he spoke first.

"Oh, cutting classes I see. I never thought you'd become a Yankee~"

It was an unexpected friend like comment coming from Lyon but she hardly cared. She started to walk past him, a capture of her wrist stopped her.

"You're avoiding me, aren't you?"

"Let go."

"Can you tell me why you're cutting first?"

"Can you tell me why's it your business?"

"Because!" He struggled for an answer while Lucy struggled in his tightening grasp. "I...I...you... I was rude to you the other day..."

She took the time to study him, to figure whether he was joking or not. It didn't seem he was.

"Yeah great. I don't care."

"Don't say that," Lyon muttered, "it's hard to come for help. I can imagine. I was pretty rude to you. I'm sorry. I haven't interacted with people much so-"

"What's the sudden change in heart?"

"...I just don't want a repeat."

Lucy frowned, "A...repeat...?"

Before the boy could respond, someone shouted a battle cry and Natsu flew from nowhere.

"YOU BASTARD!" He growled, launching punches at the dodging Fullbuster. His opponent dodged every of them with ease, lamenting, "You've sucked this years, candlestick." He attempted a punch but Natsu easily dodges it as well.

"ICE BLOKE, YOU'RE GOING DOWN."

They continued their bicker fighting without the slightest concern for Lucy who watched in confusion. She finally decided to intervene, stepping and shouting for them to stop.

It was a bad moment for her to choose so though since Lyon had decided then to kick Natsu which unfortunately hurt Lucy instead.

"GRAY YOU BASTARD!" Natsu hissed when Lucy fell in his arms, "what have you done?!"

"I didn't mean to hurt her!" Lyon protested, "r-really!"

"Huh?" Lucy murmured, capturing the boys' attention, "did I hear...Natsu calling Lyon...Gray...?"

"Lyon?" Natsu snorted, "Lyon's not here-"

Lyon punched Natsu before turning back to Lucy.

"Shut. Up." He growled, instigating the start of another fight. Lucy's unwilling to be a bystander of it so she stood up, her legs wobbling a bit.

"Enough," Lucy muttered, "Really Lyon...you annoy me to no end. Can't you just cut me some slack?"

Lyon was silent but Natsu listened in quiet surprise for unknown reasons.

"Natsu are you going in?" Lucy asked, "I could use a drink."

"You should go to the hospital," he blurted worriedly, "you just got kicked by Gr-"

Lucy tilted her head. "By whom?"

For some strange reason, Lyon grabbed Natsu by the collar, glaring at him with a message Lucy couldn't understand. They held their gaze at each for a long while, Lucy fearing another fight may break out. But then Lyon unexpectedly clapped Natsu's back, walking away with hands shoved in jeans pocket.

"She'll be taken away from you," he spoke, "you're undeserving of her."

"You bastard!" Natsu growled, turning to meet Lyon's retreating figure. "You're the one toying with people's feelings! Quit acting like a coward and fight!"

"I don't fight anymore," Gray growled, "there's no use for that. But someone like you wouldn't understand, would you?"

Natsu seemed defeated by his words, letting the boy walk out without another word. When he no longer could be seen, Natsu punched a nearby lamppost, the lights swaying a bit to the left as a result.

"Shit," Natsu muttered, "stupid ice bloke."

"Uhm...Natsu..."

His demeanor immediately switched, his scary appearance shedding for a more jovial one. His happy grin still makes Lucy smile, making her believe that despite what she has witness, her crush for Natsu is true.

"Sorry about that Luce," Natsu sheepishly grinned, "he was being a bastard again."

"Ah," it pained Lucy that the boy was so clearly hiding something. "Natsu, if you have anything you want to say, you can tell me. It's the least I can do."

Natsu's about to say something when his stomach growled and his grin widened. "I'm hungry~let's go in already~"

And she complied, only because he took her hand and she was starting to like the touch of his skin against hers.

—

He really didn't know why Natsu have to make the appearance he did. It just complicated the whole 'Apologize to Lucy' operation.

"Fuck," he murmured as he watched the two disappear into Fairy Tail from the back of a building. "Natsu's no good for you Lucy..."

He was perceptive beyond ages so it was not hard for him to notice the difference in how Lucy looked at Natsu and how she looked at every other boy.

"Well, it's not like Eve had much of a chance in the first place," Gray thought realistically.

He thought this from the start but didn't voice it to Eve, fearing his happiness. Eve was the one of the few who had been with him during hard times. From the time when he was abandoned as a child to times he struggled with his feelings for Ultear.

Gray sank to the ground. Ultear, a person who had brought light to his darkest hour. As a child and many other times. He could still recall the time when no one in his family wanted house him. They spoke of how detestable and costly it was. And that was how much he amounted to in people's eyes. A burden.

But she was there—she was different. She wrapped her arms around his tiny, childlike frame and whispered comforting, sweet nothings in his ears.

"We'll be a family, okay?" She had asked cheerfully, "You'll have me as an older sister, as well as an onii-chan! Won't that be wonderful?"

It did sound wonderful of the time but as a child, Gray didn't think of what might happen in the future.

"But even Ultear wants to leave me," Gray mulled, not knowing a tear streaked his tear. "What will I do..."

"Lyon? You're still here?"

He didn't react at first but a lingering presence caused him to face an impatient blonde. He frowned.

"Aren't you with Natsu?"

"He's talking to Lisanna," Lucy thumbed the cafe and Gray suddenly felt bad for the blonde. Why were there so many fruitless loves in the world? "He told me to come make up things with you anyways."

"Natsu did?"

"Yeah," she leaned against the wall next to him now, an awkward silence seating itself between them.

"So…is your face okay…" _Dammit Gray. That's not what you want to ask!_

"Yeah, it wasn't anything fatal," she replied with even coolness, "not even a scratch." _Is this girl calling me wimpy?! _"By the way, how did you know I was cutting classes?"

Letting his irritation subside, Gray shrugged. "Eve told me you had classes. I just assumed."

"Okay..." She seemed unsure but satisfied for the moment. "How about the time you thought I was crying but I wasn't? How did you figure that out?"

"I have ESP skills," Gray joked but spoke seriously by Lucy's deadpan expression. "I don't know. It's just easy to see how people feel, you especially. Like how it's do clear you're doing this for Natsu, right?"

She looked surprise, something Gray smiled sadly at. Even if he particularly wasn't fond of this girl, she had bothered to check up on him. It was expected that it wouldn't be on her own accord so why did he feel so upset?

"Then...how is it that you look like you want to cry..." The girl finally stated. "How is it that you're crying without noticing?"

"Eh?" Gray touched his face, realizing it was indeed wet. He was crying. "B-but...I don't know why or..what...or..."

Two arms suddenly wraps around his neck, his face thrust in the shoulders of a blonde. She patted his back, bringing Gray back to that fateful meeting with Ultear.

"But you're not Ultear," Gray thought, "and you're not doing this to please me but to please him."

However, he found the arms wrapping around him. He soon coaxed himself to relax into her.

He was using her and she was using him. They were both horribly messed up people.

_Especially me._

_—_

She didn't know what to do but remain where she was while the boy cried his heart out. She could just leave. This _was_ starting to go beyond what Natsu asked her to do. Plus he was pretty rude to her last night.

Why was she still here then?

A quick glance at the sobbing boy dawned to her a realization.

He was like her. Broken.

"Really...Lyon..." She muttered, stroking his hair, her touch freezing the boy a bit. "...you're more than what I can handle..."

She was suddenly pushed gently aside, the black haired boy rubbing to free himself of tears.

"I've finally decided," he murmured. Lucy stared in surprise. "What are you talking about Lyon?"

He stared straight in her eyes, with more urgency than usual. "I'll help you. I'll help you with your crush."

"Wh-what?" her voice is somehow spluttering all over the place. What was this sudden offering? "How do you plan that?"

He put a finger over Lucy's lips, winking. "You'll see, you'll see."

He walked away, leaving Lucy utterly confused.

—

Her father didn't say much about cutting class which was a relief. She had bigger things to worry—like what the hell Lyon is planning.

"Is he doing this to spite me?" Lucy pondered aloud as she settled in her seat. "But I did comfort him did I? Wait a minute." She slapped herself. "Why do I have to please HIM? He should be pleasing me!"

Even though she reassured herself a bit, there was a nagging feeling that something was about to happen.

"Lu-chan, you seem excited," Levy chided, seating in her own seat. "You've had a nice weekend?"

"Ah yes," Lucy said hesitant. She still remembered the awkward end to the last conversation they shared. But it didn't seem like Levy cared the least bit.

"That's great! I know how much your father pressures you and all." Her happiness is dazzling, like diamonds in the sky. "Ne, ne have you heard?"

"Heard what?" She was a bit relieved to have Levy remain as her friend. The classroom air was polluted with screams and yells, and whispers of juicy gossips. For reason it seemed more littered than usual. "Levy, I can't hear you. Can you speak up?"

The bluette was about to say something when the front door opened, signaling the end to all conversations in class. The teacher walked in with more glee than Lucy thought she was capable of having.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she smiled, "we have a latecomer to our class. I hope you'll make him feel at home. Come on in darling."

She was feeling that nagging feeling again. And when the new student walked in, her feelings were proven correct.

Standing in the center front of the room, with the airs of a bemused prince, was the bane of her existence. His eyes scan the room with predator like glare, landing slowly on Lucy.

He cracked a grin.

"I'm Gray Fullbuster and I'll be attending to class from now on. I hope to get along with you all."

* * *

Words: 2026

* * *

**Author's Note**

Oh gosh, I honestly didn't plan to update so late. ;A; But then again, my sense of timing is terrible. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and that characterization wasn't too clumsy (who am I kidding? Gray literally did a one-eighty in this xV).


	5. Five

**Five**

"Lucy, I need help on this problem. "

"Lucy, can you show me where the bathroom is?"

"Lucy, where are you going? Can I follow?"

"Lucy!"

"Lu—"

She slammed the door, her heart thudding furiously. It was just yesterday morning that Gray confessed he was Gray, the person she detested the most and not Lyon. Ever since then he had been ceaselessly tailing her, asking for the weirdest of favors that called for them spending more time with one another. She had already detested his existence in the first place, why would she further any possible time together now that his true identity was revealed?

"D-despicable," she stuttered, plopping down on the ground of an empty classroom in wait for the coast to be clear. "To think I was hoping the bullying would stop…"

Gray wasn't very shy of displaying his interest in Lucy which contributed to the existent hatred girls had of her. The antics against her seemed to have intensified and while Natsu's words have given her enough strength to cope with the childish pranks, she didn't appreciate spending extra money on book replacements.

_Ring!_

Classes have ended and so did her free period which meant it was lunchtime. She sweat-dropped, contemplating whether she should go in fear of facing Gray. She had passionately expressed her hatred towards the boys when she first met them but never did she know she was expressing this to Gray himself. What kind of fool did she make herself out to be?

"No, no, Lucy," she thought as she decided her course of action. "don't be afraid! Don't be afraid!"

"_You're pretty strong! For putting up a front like that! That's really, _really_ great! Being happy is the best thing after all but being with your friends during hardships, telling them your troubles…that's really strong of you!"_

"That's right!" Lucy declared resolutely, marching her way to the outdoor patio, "during a time like this I should gather my fighting spirit! If he bothers me, I'll just pretend I don't know him! I shouldn't have to deal with his nonsense at all!"

"Deal with whose nonsense, Lu-chan?" a voice piped up and Lucy snapped out from her self-cheer, seeing that she had already reached her destination. She blushed and sat down next to Eve who appeared to be alone.

"Ah, nothing," she said, "say, where's everyone else?"

"Oh," he held out three of his fingers. "Hibiki and Loke signed up for prep classes." He dropped two of his fingers, the last one still held up. "And Lyon—"

"—Gray," she interjected crossly, upset her friend was still tricking her, "I know Lyon is Gray, Eve."

"Eh?" his eyes widened, "really?"

"Yeah. It's _not_ cool to lead me like that. Are we even friends?"

"Lu-chan, I'm sorry!" he spoke a bit too high, his eyes tearing up a bit, "h-he just does whatever he wants and there's usually nothing we can do about it and-"

"-whatever," Lucy grumbled, picking through her bag for a handmade sandwich. Her father wasn't giving her any allowances lately for reasons unknown. "Just leave me alone."

"H-hai…"

True to his words, he didn't utter a single word on this perfect sunny day. They sat in uncomfortable silence, Lucy trying to digest the food she attempted to make and Eve eating his lunch which looked utterly edible and sellable in a five-star restaurant. Seeing that he hadn't even taken a bite, Lucy's mouth started to salivate as she tried to civilize herself.

Too bad Eve caught her and held a hopeful glance. His expression resembled too much of a teddy bear she once owned, all vulnerable and pitiful and cute, that she couldn't resist anymore.

"E-eve…if you don't mind…could I…"

"Here Lu-chan! You can have as much as you want!"

And she was thrust with the fancy bento box Eve carried with him. She took only a look at the full strawberries, the vegetable spring roll, rice and sprinkles of broccoli before completely downing the entirty with great ferocity. She had almost forgotten that she was eating someone else's lunch if it weren't for a chuckle that stopped her from having a final bite.

"Heh, heh, Lu-chan, your face is so cute," Eve smiled but stuttered at Lucy's blank face, "n-not to say that you're never cute or anything! I…uh…"

"I know what you mean, Eve," Lucy gently said, smiling, "thanks a lot!"

"So…does it mean I'm forgiven?" Hope brimmed too much in his voice.

It didn't feel right to be so petty so Lucy reluctantly said, "Sure…but why didn't you tell me? I must've made myself a fool for saying I hated Gray."

"You didn't!" Eve blurted a bit too rashly, "you were amazing, Lu-chan! That ability to state how you feel, it's amazing!"

Lucy blinked. Really? Was she really that incredible? She always thought her biggest mistake to be the inability to face her problem which was indirectly related to revealing how she truly felt.

"But…" Eve continued, "…it's understandable why you hate Gray…I sometimes do too."

"What? You seem like best friends though."

"That guy…" Eve said with more contempt Lucy thought he was capable of having, "…had always taken the world a bit too seriously. Always doing things himself, always _succeeding_. If someone were to marathon, he'd do it in a stride. And what's worse is that he doesn't even do it for himself. So imagine how much he could achieve if he _did_ do it for himself? But there is one goal he has always had. He couldn't accomplish it so that's why he removed himself."

"Removed himself…" despite her animosity towards Gray, she was curious with this spring of information. It seemed to have portrayed Gray differently from the boy who wanted to mess with everyone's business. "…what do you mean by that?"

Before Eve could say another word, someone shouted Lucy's name. The two turned around in face of pink hair and wide toothy grin. Natsu.

"Natsu!" she jumped up, a foolish smile slinking on her face, "what are you doing here?"

"Just wanted to thank you," he chirped, "you talked to Gray yesterday right?"

"Yeah!" Though she was touched he went out of his way to look for her, did it have to be about _that_ nuisance? "he's…" The image of Gray sobbing in her arms flashed briefly in her mind and she grinded her teeth from recalling that moment. "…he _should_ be fine.

"That's great!" Natsu smiled, "I hope you'll take special care of him!"

Though Lucy loved his smile, this time, it didn't exactly reach his eyes. "Why's that?"

"No reason," Natsu easily shrugged off. He peered over Lucy's shoulder and grabbed what was left of the eaten bento, chomping it whole. "Delicious! Eve, was it you who cooked this?"

Eve, who was practically nonexistent this entire time, trembled, nodding. "Y-yeah."

"Well this is delicious!" Natsu chirped. He wiped his mouth and sighed. "Alright, sorry for bothering you! Bye Lucy! Eve!"

"Bye Natsu!" she said a bit too enthusiastically, waving her arm feverously, completely missing the look on Eve's face.

—

"You gotta be kidding me," was the thought that entered her mind when she was faced with the person she wanted to avoid the most.

"...so in order to help him catch up," the teacher was saying, "I called you, Ms. Heartphilia, one of my most promising student to help this young man catch up in his studies. I hope both of you get along now."

"Yo," the boy cheekily grinned, "I'm Gray Fullbuster."

His emphasis on his name was like a freaking, cruddy taunt. Lucy wanted at the moment to just stamp and yell her heart out. Eva was right. Gray did have that uncanny habit of getting what he wanted with ease. How infuriating it was.

"Please to meet you..." She managed out, doing her best to keep her cool in a place like the teacher's office.

—

He was of perfect manners when they were in the room, the embodiment of a gentleman albeit a cheeky one. Lucy nearly thought she would have an okay first tutoring session (the teacher requested that they hold one in order to build a 'friendly atmosphere,' like _hell_ she wanted that). They found a vacant classroom and Gray even held the door out for her and led her to a seat nearby the windows. Everything went fine up until he dropped his friendly smile as soon as he sat down.

"So Lucy, you're finally going to have to talk to me~"

And so began a launching of pesky, trivial questions from what her hobby was down to why she smelled of vanilla (Lucy herself wasn't aware of her own scent). But then he went ahead to the great unknown, asking a question that shouldn't be asked. _At all._

"So how's it going with Natsu?"

That was it. "Can you stop fooling around?! I'm here to tutor you, not to share secrets like freaking BFFs!"

"So things aren't smooth sailing on the love boat I see," Gray mused, completely disregarding what Lucy had said. "I bet he's asking you about me, isn't he?"

How the hell does he know this?!

"How do I know this?" He asked rhetorically, his uncanny accuracy rendering the blonde speechless, "because Natsu is a predictable baka. And you tend to have a fake glint in your eyes when something's wrong."

"I do NOT have a-" she stopped herself, realizing the agony would just continue if she contributed, "look, can we just get this tutoring done for the day?"

The boy seemed to actually think about this simple request, making quite the scene by stroking his nonexistent beard in a philosophical way. It started to tax Lucy's patience but luckily she was spared from screaming her lungs off two minutes later.

"How about we make a deal?"

"...deal?"

"Yeah. Since you obviously hate my presence, we'll make a deal."

It was scary how he acknowledged someone's hatred towards him with a smile. "Wh-what's the deal?"

"Next week we're having an AP Chem test, right? I'll tutor myself without your help. If you score higher than me, I promise I'll no longer bother you or even come close to your sight."

It sounded promising but too good to be true. "What will happen if you score higher?"

"I get to play Cupid and hook you up with Natsu!"

She stared bewilderedly at the boy, unable to believe his selflessness. "How is that a prize at all?!"

"I just want to help you," Gray admitted, "not for your benefit but for mine."

"What could you possibly benefit from seeing Natsu and I getting together?"

"I'm just tired of seeing broken hearts and unrequited love. That's all."

—

"You're studying?" She sounded proud, an emotion Gray hadn't heard from her in a long time. "I'm so proud of you! You're finally going to school and you're even studying!"

"Yeah, well," he tried not to blush but it surfaced anyways. Dammit, didn't he resolve to rid these taboo feelings? "I just want to bet this person. It's just competitiveness, Ultear."

"Competitiveness, whatever, you're studying! Would you like me to get you anything? Cup of coffee...fruits..."

"I'm not a child," he complained, "give that to Lyon! He only has this year to relax before college—"

The mood practically darkened, the happiness Ultear seemed to have exude was nearly nonexistent. Her ruby lips seemed to have dimmer, her eyes narrowing.

"Ah yes...your brother is another to worry..."

And she shook her head, the darkened mood no longer there. "I'll be off now Gray. I trust you to study hard."

—

"Someone just shoot me now," Lucy moaned as she banged her head on the counter.

The difficulty of the bet she made with Gray hasn't sank in until too late, and by then she had already undergo an hour and a half worth of studying. She knew for certain getting a higher grade than a person who didn't come to school for nearly a year would be easy but chemistry wasn't that hard to catch up. It was possible for a failing student to suddenly ace the next test if they tried—especially if the unit was something as simple as stoichiometry.

"Is there something wrong Lucy?"

She looked up in face of a lavender haired girl and nodded. "Yeah...I have to get a higher grade than Gray."

"Gray Fullbuster right?" She wiped a glass. "That'll be hard. He's always has this incredible ability when it comes to studying."

"Yeah, or so I've heard," Lucy muttered as she remembered her conversation with Eve. "Why did he stop though?"

"You don't know Lucy?" Lisanna set the glass down, "he's known for falling in love with his own sister."

"...WHAT?!"

"Well he may have changed now," Lisanna said as if overcoming desire for your blood sibling was completely normal, "he wasn't able to because someone said something to him."

"Wait, wait. So Gray loved his own sister?!"

"Technically they're not blood related," Lisanna shrugged.

"Still! Does no one find that creepy?!"

"You should understand where he's coming from, Lucy," her tone was no longer playful but serious. "Gray doesn't have anyone to trust when he was little. He was abandoned."

"What..."

"Natsu!" her typical approachable attitude sank back in, startling Lucy a bit. _Is this girl bipolar or…?_

"Yo Lisanna," the approaching boy grinned, "Lucy. Are you studying?"

"Ah yeah!" she quickly shut the book, red tinting the sides of her face. She didn't want to seem like a geek in front of him. "but I'm done now!"

"She's competing with Gray," Lisanna explained, earning a stern look from Lucy.

"Oh Gray is competing?" Natsu said cheerfully. "That's great! I'm glad he has someone like you Lucy!"

_Again, why does Gray have to be the topic of conversation every single time?_ "Thanks! But what are you doing here—"

"—so the competition is whether who'll score highest on a test," Lisanna interjected, "which is why she's studying right now."

"Lisanna!" Why was the world so harsh on her? "That's enough!"

"But that's interesting," Natsu had somehow accessed her books, flipping through the pages. "All these notes and books you brought yourself? You must be really dedicated!" his voice mixed with awe and praises filled Lucy with happiness. "But…you'll probably not be able to score higher than him." Her smile fell.

"What. Why do you say that?"

"Well," he held out three fingers, ticking them off as he listed his reasons. "Number one, he's smart. He's a douchebag with no sensibilities but he's smart. Number two, he's hardworking. Yeah he's a lazy ass who never lifted a finger for anything. But he does at the last minute which was how he gotten into Fairy Tail. Number three…well…" he chugged down a drink Lisanna set in front of him, Lucy sweat dropping.

"You seem to think highly of him," Lucy remarked gingerly, "even though you pretend to be hostile when you see him and all."

"Oh? Lucy noticed?" he grinned and Lucy felt her knees wobble. _Of course I noticed, baka._ "Lucy is so attentive! Uwah~" he snaked an arm around Lucy's neck and whatever information stored in her head immediately melted into liquidy goo. "But Lucy~ I'm not as great as you say I am."

Lucy, in her jellied self, tried to recompose herself but the warmth of his arm around her neck was making it difficult. "Wh-what?"

He winked, and just like that, removed his arm, yelled out for Lisanna to grab him another drink. Flushed, Lucy tried to absorbing the information in her textbook to no avail while Natsu stared, at her, through the corners of his shining eyes.

—

Pulling all-nighters and downing several cups of coffee later, a week passed.

* * *

Words: 2626

* * *

**Author's Note**

I would've updated two days ago but was immediately bombarded with three tests. ;_; Sorry! I hope this chapter was worth the wait! This chapter wasn't anything innovative (the whole bet thing is a very trite trope, sorry!) but the whole point is to reveal bits of Gray. With that said, I am really grateful for all your support! Will love your reviews and support forever~ 3

Silverstein71: Heh, heh, sorry for the delayed update. ;D But I hope this chapter lives up to what you're hoping for!


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